Oct 18 (Reuters) – Iran has pledged to supply Russia with surface-to-surface missiles and more drones, two senior Iranian officials and two diplomats have learned.
The deal was reached on October 6 during a visit to Moscow by Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, two senior Revolutionary Guards officials and an official from the Supreme National Security Council.
“The Russians have requested more drones and Iranian ballistic missiles with improved accuracy, including Fateh and Zolfaghar missiles,” one of the Iranian diplomats said.
A Western official familiar with the matter confirmed this information, explaining that an agreement had been reached between Iran and Russia on the supply of short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, including Zolfaghars.
The Iranian diplomat refuted claims by Western officials that the shipments violated a 2015 UN Security Council resolution.
“Where they are used is not the vendor’s problem. We are not taking sides in the Ukraine crisis as the West is doing. We want a diplomatic way out of the crisis,” he said. said the Iranian diplomat.
Ukraine has reported an increase in Russian attacks using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in recent weeks. Iran has denied providing these drones to Moscow and on Tuesday the Kremlin denied that its forces used Iranian drones to attack Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry declined to comment.
The use of Iranian missiles in addition to drones by Russian troops in Ukraine would not fail to add to the already high tension between Iran and the West, led by the United States.
On Monday, the US State Department estimated that Iranian drones had been used in attacks earlier in the day on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and Karinne Jean-Pierre, the spokeswoman for the White House, accused Tehran to lie by claiming that no Iranian drones were used by the Russian army in Ukraine.
A European diplomat explained that his country believes that Russia is finding it increasingly difficult to produce the weapons itself due to Western sanctions and that it is turning to other suppliers, including Iran and Korea North.
“Drones and missiles are a logical next step,” he said. (French version Marc Angrand)